At first, the still-undefeated San Francisco 49ers seemed to hold all the cards during their Monday Night Football bout against the 7-2 Seattle Seahawks in Week 10. The Niners opened up on offense and managed a drive spanning nearly seven minutes, ultimately ending in just a field goal from newly signed kicker Chase McLaughlin, who is filling in for the injured Robbie Gould.
It could have been as much as seven for San Francisco, as wide receiver Marquise Goodwin dropped a key pass. Yet the 49ers defense responded, and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo hit wide receiver Kendrick Bourne for a 10-yard touchdown towards the end of the first quarter to put San Francisco up 10-0.
But the 49ers, who were already down Gould and tight end George Kittle to start the game, saw some more injuries pile up, including wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who exited with a ribs injury. He was listed as questionable to return.
And despite some solid defensive efforts from the Niners early, Seattle managed to regain momentum in the second quarter, mostly shutting down the 49ers ground game and forcing Garoppolo to throw. On a 2nd-and-7 play late in the second quarter, Seahawks defensive lineman Jarran Reed forced a fumble from the hands of Garoppolo, which was recovered by Seattle EDGE Jadeveon Clowney and returned for a touchdown to make it 10-7.
With the momentum shifting in Seattle's favor, the 49ers defense was at least able to force a turnover of its own, as safety Jaquiski Tartt ripped the ball loose from Seahawks rookie wide receiver D.K. Metcalf with just over a minute remaining in the first half. Seattle's drive on the play was thwarted, which kept the score as is:
"I'll take that." @Quaski29, probably. #GoNiners pic.twitter.com/lvlbvW71oH
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 12, 2019
Seattle will start the second half on offense, and this game is looking as close as one probably thought it would be.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
